"I picked Fresno State because honestly they have given me much love and respect throughout my whole recruiting process," Lazarus said. "They have been there since day one, never stopped checking on me, been really recruiting me hard and showing that I was their No. 1 priority. The way their defense is set up, I feel my talents can contribute big to the program."

The plan was to announce his commitment on Christmas morning, but word leaked out Wednesday night. A few hours later, the Berkeley standout was ready to make his decision public and Fresno State was the big winner in his recruitment.

Lazarus recently took a trip to Fresno and that was a big deciding factor.

"They want me to come in and be an impact player, and after my official visit this past weekend I got to see more of what the Bulldog family is about and I felt great being there," Lazarus said. "There's a lot of talent on the team that's going to take us to many championships in the future, and I'm proud to say I'm glad to be a Bulldog."